Bioabsorbable weave technique for repair of pectus excavatum James Patrick Brooks, MD, Captain, USAFa, Henry F. Tripp, MD, Lieutenant, Colonel, USAFb The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Volume 119, Issue 1, Pages 176-178 (January 2000) DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5223(00)70238-8 Copyright © 2000 Mosby, Inc. Terms and Conditions
Fig. 1 Diagram of the repair technique as described. In the lower part of the diagram the right pectoralis muscle and fascia are cut away. The horizontal mattress sutures are passed through the pectoralis fascia and through the perichondrium of the resected third costal cartilage. The suture is then passed underneath the sternum, with care to avoid the internal thoracic arteries, and back up through the same structures on the contralateral side. The suture is then passed once again through the pectoralis fascia and through the lower adjacent fourth perichondrial sheath on the same side, carried beneath the sternum once again, and brought out in a similar fashion before being tied. The same steps are repeated incorporating the fifth and sixth perichondrial sheaths. As shown in the upper end view, the sternum is supported in an anatomic position by the suture, which passes through the pectoralis fascia and perichondrial sheaths on each side of the sternum. The pectoralis fascia may be approximated in the midline over the sternum at the completion of the repair. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2000 119, 176-178DOI: (10.1016/S0022-5223(00)70238-8) Copyright © 2000 Mosby, Inc. Terms and Conditions